Shirt collar support



P 2 c. A. CALDER A 2,610,774

SHIRT COLLAR SUPP/CRT Filed March 16, 1948 F/GJ I0 37 :1/ 3% K /4 225 7, /20 [21? I FIG. 5 4/ FIG. 6

INVENTOR CAESAR A. CALDER A TTORNEV- Patented Sept. 16, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Caesar A. Calder, Verona, N. J.

Application March 16, 1948, Serial No. 15,082

I'Claim.

This invention relates to a'shirt collar support.

In recent years there has been an increased use of 'mens shirts which comprise attached soft collars and which collars areworn with no starch or very little starch in them. 'Such collars have very little inherent stiffness and present a problem in packaging such shirts, either in newly manufactured form or in laundrered form. Previously known supports which are more particularly adapted for use with shirts having starched or inherently stiffened collars, have been found unsatisfactory when used with the starchless or limp type of collar.

Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide a shirt collar support which is particularly adapted to be used in supporting soft, starchless shirt collars and shaping such collars to present a pleasing appearance when packaged, such supports being alsoadapted for use with shirts having starched or otherwise stiffened collars.

Another object of this invention is to provide a shirt collar support comprising an elongated semi-stiff cardboard blank formed at opposite ends thereof with portions adapted to become interengaged, said blank being adapted to be bent to bring said opposite end portions into engagement with each other thus forming said blank into a structure of predetermined peripheral shape, said support being adapted to be inserted into contact with the collar of the shirt and to cause the collar to assume said predetermined shape.

A further object of this invention is toprovide a shirt collar support which comprises an elongated strip of cardboard adapted to be bent to bring opposite end portions thereof into engagement, said strip, being formed with spaced transverse bend lines which are adapted to determine the peripheral shape of the bent strip, whereby said support when disposed in contact with the collar of a shirt for supporting the same, will suitably shape said shirt collar.

Still another object .of this invention is to provide a shirt collar support which comprises an elongated strip of cardboard adapted to have its opposite end portions brought into engagement with each other, one of said end portions being ,said slotted portion being formed'with means permitting the neck portion to move in one direction relative to said slotted portion into any one 2 of a plurality of positions, and preventing movement in the opposite direction, thereby fixing sa'id neck portion in one of said selected posi tions, thus adjustably determining the peripheral dimensionof said support.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a shirt collar support comprising an elongated cardboard strip formed with a longitudinal slot at one end thereof, the bottom edge thereof being formed with upstanding saw tooth projections, and a head at the other end thereof, said strip being formed with spaced groups of transverse bend lines on portions intermediate the ends of said strip, the ends of said strip being adapted to be brought together, the head portion being adapted to be inserted into the said slot at the inner end of said strip, said head portion then being adapted to be moved in said slot over said projections towards the outer end of said slot, said head portion being adapted to be fixed in any one of aplurality of positions relative to the slotted portion of said strip by means of said projections, said projections being adapted to prevent movement of said head portion towards the inner end of said slot, said support being adapted to have at least portions of its outer peripheral surface disposed in contact with the inner surfaces of a shirt collar, with the head portion of said strip in an initial position adjacent the inner end of the slot in said strip, said head then being adapted to be moved towards the, outer end of said slot to enlarge the peripheral extent of said support until its outer surface substantially coincides with the inner surface of said collar, the said bend lines on said strip being adapted to shape said support and thereby shape the collar supported by said support.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an improved shirt collar support which is inexpensive to manufacture, is readily manipulated in its utilization as a shirt collar support,

is adaptedfor use with shirts of various collar sizes, and is. practical and eflicient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

cated in the following claim.

In the accompanying drawings in which is 3 shown various illustrative embodiments of this invention:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal front view of a shirt collar support embodying the invention and shown in blank form;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal rear view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a partial elevational View showing the interengagement of end portions of the blank shown in Fig. 1 with parts broken away and parts in section;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the blank shown in Fig. 1 with the opposite ends thereof in engagement;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a shirt collar having inserted therein a shirt collar support embodying the invention, with the support in its contracted position, and

Fig. 6 is a top plan view similar to that shown in Fig. 5 and illustrating the support in its expanded position.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, in designates an elongated substantially rectangular blank for forming the shirt collar support embodying the invention. Such a blank may be in the form of a strip ll of cardboard or other suitable semi-stiff material and comprises a front face I2 and a rear face I3. The strip further comprises a top edge l4, a parallel bottom edge l5, and parallel end edges |5, H, at opposite ends thereof.

The strip is formed with a longitudinally extending rectangular shaped slot disposed adjacent end edge IS. The slot 20 is defined by a top edge 2| parallel to top and bottom edges I4,

l5, a bottom edge 22 and opposite parallel end edges 23, 24, which are parallel to end edges It. the edge 24 being spaced inwardly of edge IS. The edge 22 comprises a. plurality of successive upstanding ratchet teeth projections 25 which include vertical upstanding edges 26 and edges 21 inclined upwardly and outwardly tothe upper end of edges 26. The inclination of edges 21 is directed towards edge 24 of the slot.

The end of the strip adjacent edge I1 is formed with a curved edge 20 with a neck 3| extending outwardly of a central portion thereof. A headed tongue portion 32 extends from neck 3| and comprises oppositely disposed curved edges 33, 34 which extend to the edge As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the distance between r edges 33, 34 of the tongue 32 is less than the distance between edges l4, [5 of the strip The strip H is provided on its face I 2 with a plurality of groups of transverse indented score lines. edge 23 of slot 20. Another group 36 is disposed in spaced relation to edge 30. A third group 31 is disposed intermediate groups 35 and 36. A pair of score lines 38 are disposed transversely of the slot 20, adjacent edge 24 thereof. An individual score line 39 is disposed between the edge and the group of score lines 36. Also, the neck portion 3| is provided on the face I 3 at either end thereof, with parallel, transverse indented bend lines 3|a, 3|b. for the purpose hereinafter appearing.

The strip H which is in a, normally fiat condition is adapted to be bent into a looped shape substantially as shown in Fig. 4. To this end the headed tongue 32 is brought towards the slotted portion of the strip and the tongue is inserted through the slot by twisting the tongue axially, sufficient to permit the tongue to pass through the slot 20. The tongue is then restored to its normal position. Preferably, the

One group is disposed adjacent the tongue is inserted into the slot 20 adjacent edge 23. As a consequence, the lower edge of the neck 3| will become engaged with one of the projections 25 adjacent the edge 23. The lower neck edge is thus disposed between a vertical edge 26 and the adjacent inclined edge 21. The upper edge of the neck will contact edge 2| of the slot. The tongue 32 is then bent back on the neck portion 3| along bend lines 3 la, 3| b, towards the end It. bringing it into contact with the face |3 of the strip. The strip II is thus caused to be bent along the groups of indented bend lines 35, 35, 31 to produce a looped member havin convexly curved portions 40, 4|, 42. The strip II with its ends thus interengaged, as shown in Fig. 4, is ready to be inserted into the collar portion 53 of newly manufactured or freshly laundered shirts 5|, to provide supports therefor. The collar which is of the attached type, may be unstarched or have very little starch therein. Such collars, although quite fashionable are diflicult to support due to lack of stiffness.

The collar 50 comprises the usual outer layer 52 with tabs 53 at the front thereof, a. roll top edge 54 and an inner layer 55. The inner layer 55 is provided. at the front with overlapping buttoned ends 53.

The collar support shown in Fig. 4 is inserted into the collar 52 so that the face l3 of the support is disposed opposite the inner layer 55 of the collar as shown in Fig. 5. With the headed tongue 32 in the slot 20 and positioned adjacent edge 23, the looped structure is of minimum peripheral dimension and is designed to be somewhat less than the smaller sizes of shirt collars. The support is then expanded so as to bring the surface |3 thereof into contact with the inner surface of the inner layer 55 of the collar as shown in Fig. 6. This may be readily accomplished by spreading the opposite portions of the looped support away from each other. This spreading action is accomplished by movement of the neck 3| and headed tongue 32 within the slot 23 in the direction of the edge 24 of said slot, the neck slipping over the successive inclined edges 21 of the ratchet teeth projections 25. When the support conforms in its peripheral dimensions to the size of the collar, it will retain such dimensions by reason of the projection 25 which permits movement of the neck and tongue towards the edge 24 of the slot but prevents movement towards edge 23 of the slot.

Since the support is preshaped by reason of the spaced groups of indented bend lines, the collar 5|! which is more flexible than the support, will tend to assume the shape of the support. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the intermediate curved portion 4| on the support is disposed opposite the button portion 55 of the collar. The other curved portions 40 and 42 on the support will be disposed at opposite sides of the collar and will thus produce a shaped collar of pleasing and at tractive appearance.

It will be apparent that the'headed tongue 32 will be disposed between the face l3 of the support and the inner layer 55 of the collar at the back thereof. Since the end portion of the looped strip adjacent edge ID will have a tendency to move away from the interengaged opposite end portion due to the tendency of the strip to restore itself to its original flat condition, the support will frictionally grip the inner surface 2f the collar 50 and will stay in its proper posi- The bend lines 38 and 39 provide means for 5. imparting additional curvature to the strip II. It is understood that the shirt collar support and a neck portion connecting said tongue and the body portion of said strip, said tongue being em o yin the invention may be used with shirts adapted to be inserted-into said slot with said having starched as well as unstarched collars, neck portion extendingtransversely ofsaid slot, in each case the support being adapted to present ;5 one longitudinal edge fpf said slot being formed the collar of the shirt in a pleasing manner when with ratchet teeth adapted to engage an edge of packaged.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved and which is well adapted '10 to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter 15 herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Having thus described my invention, what I I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters 20 with a longitudinal slot adjacent one end thereof, 25

the other end thereof comprising a headed tongue said neck, each of said teeth having an edge perpendicular to said parallel edges and an edge inclined toward the first end of said strip and toward said top edge, the width of the neck being such that the other edge of the neck is contacted by the other longitudinal edge of the slot.

' CAESAR A. CALDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

